Lack of seat belt reason enough to get pulled over

State Patrol plans enforcement emphasis for new law carrying $86 fine

PATRICK CONDON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Wednesday, April 3, 2002

OLYMPIA -- Fasten your seat belts, Washington drivers. Law enforcement officials soon will be able to pull over and ticket those who don't buckle up.

Gov. Gary Locke signed a bill Tuesday that makes failure to wear a seat belt a "primary offense." Officers could ticket unbelted drivers in the past, but only if they had been pulled over for other infractions.

The fine for a seat belt ticket is $86.

Locke said he has little doubt that the stricter seat belt law, which takes effect June 13, will save lives.

"For many, especially young people, the threat of a ticket is a more powerful incentive than the threat of injury or death," Locke said at the signing ceremony, which was attended by several dozen law enforcement and emergency medical service personnel from around the state.

Vehicles built before manufacturers were required to include seat belts are exempt from the law.

In addition to saving lives, the bill's prime sponsor, Rep. John Lovick, said the bill will reduce the severity of injuries in thousands of crashes each year, and save millions of dollars in costs to insurance companies and hospitals.

Lovick, D-Mill Creek, is a Washington State Patrol trooper.

The state's Traffic Safety Commission estimates that the change in law will save 34 lives each year and prevent 900 serious injuries. Recent surveys show that 82 percent of Washington motorists report wearing their seat belts, a number that has held steady for six years. The commission expects that number to rise with the primary enforcement provision on the books.

State Patrol Chief Ronal Serpas said that troopers will push enforcement of the new law in the first few weeks after it takes effect.

"We're going to be very focused on enforcement until the message is very clear," Serpas said. "I expect we'll see a temporary spike in ticketing until we get the message out."

Still, Thurston County Sheriff Gary Edwards said his department is stretched so thin that enforcement of the new seat belt law probably won't be a top priority.

"We're not going to be sitting on the overpasses waiting for a driver to go by without a seat belt," Edwards said. "We're not going to run out and write a bunch of tickets."

Edwards expects the new law will be most heavily enforced in cases where officers see cars with unbuckled children riding in them. Even then, though, many drivers will probably get off with a warning, he said.

"I support saving lives," Edwards said. "But you know, I'm not a big believer in government trying to run lives from the cradle to the grave."

Patrick Condon covers state government for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-753-1688 or pcondon@olympia. gannett.com.

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